Social distancing, digitally connecting, stockpiling supplies, wearing masks, homeschooling, working from home? My expat friends were the first to settle into these new norms, and are now seemingly unfazed. Meanwhile, my American friends who’ve never lived overseas were panicked or in denial from the start of this global coronavirus pandemic — and, weeks later, are still resisting new routines.
This has made me pause and ask: What really sets these groups apart? What critical skills have expats — trailing spouses, especially — mastered that are just now being learned by others facing unprecedented uncertainty for the first time?